Our own actions

The actions of the Basque Cultural Institute are either directly implemented and managed by our team or proposed and managed by associations with the help of the BCI. Here is an overview of our main fields of activity.

Basque cultural heritage

The Basque Cultural Institute's Heritage Service is present on the different departmental and regional committees and bodies (CRPS, CAUE, etc). On the request of municipalities it provides assistance for implementing heritage development projects. It also leads the sessions and debates of the Permanent Basque Heritage Committee.

The service's leading actions include collecting the oral memory of the province of Lower Navarre which is one of the Basque Cultural Institute's priorities for the 2007-2013 period.

Artistic & cultural education in schools

The Basque Cultural Institute is a resource centre, recognised by the School Inspectorate and the Regional Department of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) for artistic and cultural education both within schools and in terms of extra-curricular activities, as well as for general training in the Basque language. Within the framework of the Departmental Plan for Developing Cultural Education (partnership with the Education Authorities, the School Inspectorate, the Aquitaine Department of Cultural Affairs, the Departmental Youth & Sports Service, the General Council, the Regional Council and certain municipalities). The Basque Cultural Institute is the cultural mediator for artistic education projects.

Performing arts

The Basque Cultural Institute's Performing Arts service provides engineering for amateur and professional artists.The Basque Cultural Institute can also provide its know-how in the joint realisation of various artistic and cultural events at listed resource-locations both inside and outside the Basque Country.

Cultural territorial development

The Basque Cultural Institute is today a resource centre in terms of Basque Culture for the different towns and villages of the Northern Basque Country which want to implement specific actions, such as cultural weeks, cycles of concerts, series of conferences, etc.Some examples: "Kaperan a kapela" at the Château d'Abbadia in Hendaye, "Euskal kultura argitan / Culture basque à l'affiche" in St-Jean-de-Luz, "Culture basque" events at the multimedia library in Biarritz, "Euskal bide arteak" Basque culture days in Bidart ...

Cross-border relations

To strengthen cultural relations between Iparralde (Northern Basque Country) and Hegoalde (Southern Basque Country), the Basque Cultural Institute is a resource centre: it proposes artists, contacts them, and organises cultural weeks or days with the municipalities and associations of the Southern Basque Country.

Some examples of cultural events in which the BCI has collaborated: "Iparraldea Bertan" cultural cycles in San Sebastian, "Iparraldea Andoainen" in Andoain, Durango Book Fair, Theatre Meetings in Azpeitia.

This policy is supported by a Long-Term Cooperation Agreement between the Basque Regional Government and the Basque Cultural Institute.

Support for cultural associations

Cultural actions can also be proposed and managed by associations with the help of the Basque Cultural Institute. Since it was created in 1990, the Basque Cultural Institute has assisted around a hundred partner associations through projects for which they seek its support. This help may be technical (advice, finding a location, etc) or financial (subject to a partnership application during the project application period defined every year by the BCI).

Expertise & analysis

The Basque Cultural Institute is attentive to the Basque socio-cultural environment it studies (surveys, research, analyses, etc) and surrounds itself with all the necessary skills for expertise on the subject. Similarly, it identifies the players working in the fields of culture and the arts, and lists the initiatives carried out in the area, with the aim of implementing a Basque culture observatory. These objective data enable artistic orientations to be drafted or reference documents to be produced on cultural life in the area.

Mobile exhibitions & publications

Within the framework of its work popularising Basque culture with the public at large and more targeted audiences (children, etc), the Basque Cultural Institute produces various supports to develop the knowledge of Basque culture. These supports make the most of information and communication technologies. They include mobile exhibitions, DVDs and also paper publications (brochures, newsletters, etc).

Internet and basque culture

The Basque Cultural Institute's multimedia service is responsible for updating and developing the Basque culture's portal website (www.eke.eus) created in April 2005. It is a platform of online digital content around which many satellite websites and blogs are structured linked to specific subjects (improvised verse with the website www.bertsulari.com, "Basque Worlds" exhibition at www.batekmila.com, collective memory at zaharren.urratsetik.eke.org, etc).

The www.eke.org portal website is the Basque Cultural Institute's spearhead within the framework of its mission to disseminate and popularise Basque culture.

Long-term cultural programmes

Since 1997 the Basque Cultural Institute has initiated long-term cultural programmes associating its usual fields of action with specific subjects: "Kantuketan" (1998-2003) on Basque song and music, "Batekmila" (2004-2008) on the relationship between cultural diversity and Basque identity. These unifying programmes provide a framework and a basis both for the work of the BCI and that of its partner associations.

Since 2011, "Hogei'ta" programme aims to arouse in young people, and with young people, innovative projects to develop Basque culture in all its diversity.